Find the Queen
by imjustaguy
Summary: BtVSHustle – Danny Blue challenges a redhead to a little wager and learns he’s not the master card manipulator he thought he was. Humor. OneShot.


Disclaimer: I do not own either BtVS or Hustle and I am making no monetary gain from the publication of this story.

Spoilers/timeline:

BtVS: None really. Set post Chosen

Hustle: No real spoilers here either. Set early season one.

I really do recommend catching Hustle on AMC. It's a fun little guilty pleasure.

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Find the Queen

Danny Blue was having a pretty good time. He was working the long con with a new crew and learning from the best. After a couple of jobs Danny had learned more (and earned more) in the last few weeks than in the previous ten years combined.

But tonight Danny was just out having a little fun. He had bumped into an attractive redhead who looked to be in her mid twenties and American to boot. She was with another woman, brunette. It was pretty obvious which way they both went.

Not that Danny minded that sort of thing. It just meant he would have to apply his talents to liberating a little of their money rather than other things.

"Now the game's real easy you see," Danny said as he tossed three cards onto the table. "All you got to do is keep your eye on the black queen," he pointed to the queen of clubs sitting between the two red queens. He flipped the three cards over and began to shuffle them, his hands moving rapidly. "What's your name luv?"

"Willow," the redhead replied. She frowned a bit. "I don't know. You're moving pretty fast."

"Tell you what I'll do Willow," Danny said with a smile. "I'll make it easy," he bent the corner on the queen of clubs. "What do ya' say. Twenty quid says you can't find the Queen."

The redhead paused again. A small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. "So every time I find a queen of clubs I get twenty pounds?"

"Yep," Danny replied. He had her. "All you got to do is follow the lady. You up for it?"

"Sure," Willow replied.

Danny flashed the queen and then began rapidly moving the cards back and forth. "Just keep your eye on the queen."

Danny came to a stop. The card with the fold in the corner was in the middle. "So where is she?"

Willow's smile grew a little wider as she reached out and flipped over the card on the left.

Danny didn't even look down. "Oh I'm sor…"

"That's twenty pounds you owe me," Willow said.

"What?" he looked down and sure enough the queen of clubs was staring back at him.

"Actually you owe me sixty."

"What do you mean I owe you sixty?" Danny said.

"You agreed each time I find a queen of clubs," Willow turned over the middle card. It too was a queen of clubs. "You give me twenty pounds," she flipped over the last card. Sure enough it was a queen of clubs.

"Bloody hell!" Danny exclaimed. "You cheat!"

"Like you're one to talk," Willow said. She made a motion with her hand and the queen of clubs Danny had palmed and slipped into his sleeve fell out unto the table. "Now you owe me eighty pounds. When both sides cheat the playing field is even," Willow said with a smile. "Pay up bub."

"Now you look here," Danny started. The girl cheated him. He had no idea how she did it. But she cheated him.

"Problem honey," the brunette Willow had come in with appeared at Willow's side. She flashed Danny a feral smile that made his skin crawl.

"No problem Ken," Willow replied. "Just settling a wager."

"I thought you didn't gamble," Kennedy said. "Some kind of Wicca thing?"

"It's alright when it's balancing out a little Karma," Willow said. She looked back a Danny. "I'm waiting."

"Now just a minute …."

"Danny."

Danny looked up in surprise. It was Mickey. He had been watching the whole thing from a couple of tables over.

"Pay the woman what you owe her," Mickey said.

Reluctantly Danny pulled out his wallet and started counting out four twenties.

"Don't forget it's a hundred," Willow said.

"What?" Danny said.

Willow motioned with her hand towards Danny's wallet. Danny looked down at the last bill he had pulled and sure enough it was a queen of clubs.

"Bloody Hell," Danny said. "How do you do that?"

"A woman never tells her secrets," Willow replied. She held out her hand. Danny laid five twenty Pound notes in it. "Have a good night fellas," Willow said as she got up.

Danny and Mickey watched as she and the brunette left the club.

"Did you see that Mickey?" Danny asked. "Five queens. I didn't even see her make the switch."

"I saw it Danny," Mickey said. "I think you should stay away from redheads for a while."

Danny just shook his head.

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"So I take it dinner is on you tonight," Kennedy said.

"This goes to the first church we pass," Willow said. "I told you. I was balancing out a little Karma. I can't keep the money."

"Damn."

fin

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A/N – I swear I have not forgotten about any of the long fics I have going (my hard drive is filled with half finished and rewritten chapters). It's just these little ideas won't get out of my head. Plus between work and family issues I only really have time to knock out these quick little one shots.


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